


Loopholes

by tranquil_shadow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 02:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3918715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tranquil_shadow/pseuds/tranquil_shadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Voldemort feared only one thing in his life... Death. What happens when young Tom Riddle meets the Death one day... A reluctant friendship formed with Death itself. AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Disclaimer: I don't own HP

* * *

 

                                                                                                      **Chapter 1**

"He was different from the other children here. He hardly ever cried as a baby, you know. He was very... odd. In fact he is! " she emphasised.

"Odd in what way?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"Well, he.. ", Mrs. Cole hesitated.

"Well... There were many little things but the most odd thing is his imaginary friend."

She squinted at him as though gauging his reaction.

"But isn't it normal thing in young children... especially in introvert children ? " asked Dumbledore.

Mrs. Cole frowned at him as if he missed the main point.

"Yes, I thought so too but Tom here still has that friend... at this age! He was always discreet but I had seen him. It was unsettling experience. We tried to speak with him. He was always loner... never befriended any children... so his behaviour was ignored... until now."

She seemed to consider something and then looked at Dumbledore.

"It's not like I'm implying he needed professional help. But as you are offering him place, the school authorities ought to know about this. It is my responsibility." She stated somberly.

"Indeed... " Dumbledore agreed. He was looking pensive.

* * *

 

Albus Dumbledore would never forget that day when he met an intriguing child who had imaginary friend named Harry.

* * *

 

R & R


	2. Chapter 2

He was staring at vast abyss stretched before him. From here he could see birth and destruction of universes. Many parallel universes were existing simultaneously, multiple events were impacting humanity there ... changing these lives forever just by mere choices. It was all incomprehensible for anyone...but now he understood it.

Harry didn't know what to call this place..it was not King's cross station which he had visited during his brief stint with death. But it didn't matter as he could change it to anything. Currently it resembled deep forest...much like forbidden forest. Only difference was nothing alive here...including him. Being immortal is worse than death.

All scenarios in this place were illusions... changing on his whims.

Universes spread across him like large canvas of abstract painting. You needed to see carefully to recognise subtle changes... Its ever changing myriads of patterns... intermingling events. Past, present, future and time lost their meaning here... in this void.

Harry wondered why he was chosen for this...he was sure that he got trapped in this unwanted job due to some elaborated scheme of some greater being above. Harry never volunteered to become death...personification of one thing which creates terror in every living being. Because everyone has to die...It is cold and harsh truth.

It was irony that he, Harry Potter, who had bravely faced his death once upon a time, was now the death himself...irony indeed.

He was initially ecstatic when he had woken up here. He had thought that he finally broke the curse of being master of death... which was by the way surely misleading title... to lure fools like Tom. He grimaced as he remember those struggling days...struggling to break free...wishing to end that cycle anyhow, by any means.

What a fool he had been...thinking he had won.

Of course, the ultimate solution to end it was to become death himself. Now there was no master of death. That title ceased to exist the moment he became death. It was as if the title was made just for him so that he would accidentally entangle himself in this scheme.

Harry would not wish this fate on anybody... not even Voldemort.

Death...this phenomenon lost its edge here. Harry had thought he would become burdened with never ending guilt of being responsible for every death...his loved ones including.

'How wrong he had been...how can you become sad when simultaneously you can see them being born and die in parallel worlds. Death only bothered to mortals who are living in their little confined worlds.'

It was very easy to lost himself here...his very identity. He who was a human named as Harry Potter... once upon a time.

So obviously he clung to that last thread...his past which connected him to land of living. Harry would not let himself become some apathetic, cruel being. People always envisioned The Death like that.

Harry was the most unsuitable being to become death.

Fate must be regretting its decision now...Harry grinned impishly.

As a death Harry can take any form, he can travel anywhere...in any time. He had saved lives of good people numerous times. But the problem was that whenever he did something good for them in one reality... opposite happened in parallel realities. See...no guilty feeling that he was not doing his job properly...as it was being done automatically in some other parallel universe. Harry could have his satisfaction of saving people in this way...win win situation, really.

Alas! ...that was the only perk in this job. Well, It was also good that he didn't need to present everywhere every time... but when you were going to spend eternity, doing same thing... It became monotonous.

Harry had visited his family, his friends many times, in many realities. Especially in those initial days of being death. He had observed them in invisible form... He was glad to see the world where little Harry Potter actually lived happily with his parents and friends. It was good and all that but afterwards he lost his interest.

Then he had started interacting with people. Peoples in his past, his friends, some unknown interesting people who had caught his attention. He tried to help them in various forms. He gave many terminal patients peaceful death in their sleep... ending their misery. Harry liked to think he was a good death... If such thing was actually exists.

He had gradually accepted his current status and then that feeling of frustration, self pity and anger abated... Harry felt satisfaction that even as death he found way to help people.

He also had been meddling timelines. This part had come in his next stage of boredom... when interaction with people lost its appeal. Harry had deliberately changed outcomes of some very important events in various worlds. Of course all these changes were pretty good for them. He would never purposefully cause death and destruction.

In fact now he started to see it as game...game which you could play many times, in many ways because his playground was timeless.

* * *

Currently Harry was bored again and wanted to try something new. Ever since he had became death, he avoided one thing...interaction with one Tom Riddle... his nemesis.

In many timelines, Harry had killed Voldemort just because he could and it was the best course of action to save numerous lives... but now this idea formed in his mind... What if he paid surprise visit to little Tom... A visit by the one thing he feared the most.

'Hmm... this could be actually interesting', the death mused and grinned devilishly.

* * *

Tom threw a sharp looking stone at annoying ducks in the park. He hated these outings and these stupid children and these people and... and these stupid birds... and..

He picked up another stone and aimed at a particularly large duck in the corner.

"Ah.. ah, I would not be doing that if I were you", a sudden admonishing voice startled him.

He whirled around and startled again to see shocking emerald green eyes staring down at him in mild disapproval. That gaze was discerning... It made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Who are you? " Tom asked in arrogant tone, after few moments of speechless staring. He was little annoyed with himself for his earlier reaction... so he tried to correct his slip with his demeanour.

" Hello Tom, Don't you recognise me?" the man before him grinned mischievously.

Tom frowned at this stranger. He had not seen this peculiar man before and he had very good memory.

'So who is he and why he is speaking with him? ' Tom's frown deepened.

" I am Death ", the Man announced with patronising smile.

And Tom's eyebrow started twitching in annoyance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deliberately kept Harry's past vague because you will know about his story later. I hope it is not confusing.


	3. Chapter 3

Tom glared at the so called death for only three seconds and then he walked away from obviously crazy man.

He would not waste his breath by giving any response.

Really, how many more fools he have to tolerate in one day... first that old hag then that moron Billy who had thought he could mess with Tom.

When he would get a moment of peace?

He glared at nothing... trying to abate his annoyance.

' _l am death_ '

He recalled man's presumptuous claim with derision.

"If you are death then I must be angel" he scoffed.

See... This was the main reason he didn't like dealing with people. They all were so beneath him... always trying to wear his already thin patience. Stupid fools!

Tom hated imbeciles.

In orphanage, all children were given lecture about stranger danger and all that... but he never thought that he would meet a weirdo who called himself a death.

Well, as much as he hated orphanage and its people, he should go and seek them than lingering in this secluded part... Not that he was leaving because of that stranger... Of course not!... But Tom was not reckless... who knows what that crazy man would do to alone child. He would be safe there.

'Hmm... Can my special powers help me in dangerous situations? ' he wondered.

Tom had some unexplainable special powers. He could make things move without touching them. He could make bad things happen to people who annoy him. He had discovered them very early and it just proved that he was unique... special. He had the power. It's just unfair that a special person like him had to live with those fools in orphanage.

He sighed and looked for Mrs. Cole. It was almost time to leave.

He didn't want to take backward glance. He didn't fear anything ... but as he didn't hear any footsteps following... well, he was just being cautious.

So he looked back.

The man was not there.

Tom released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He began to walk towards entrance when he heard that voice again.

"Hey, It is very rude to leave in middle of conversation."

Tom nearly tripped on his own feet. The man was there to his right side... grinning! Tom wanted to wipe off that mocking grin from his face.

He could have sworn that the man appeared out of nowhere... just a moment before there was no one.

He clenched his hands and faced the man.

"What's your problem?! I will shout if you don't leave immediately" Tom glared at him threateningly.

He liked to handle problems on his own but now it's looking like he had to call for help. Man could be paedophile. Tom's self preservation instincts started tingling.

That weirdo was still smiling and looked like he could read his every single thought... creepy!

"Go ahead" the man said in very indulgent tone and that's exactly what stopped Tom from doing as he had said.

"What do you want? We are in a public park. You will be arrested if you tried to kidnap me." he warned redundantly.

He didn't know why he was still speaking with him. He could be armed and it was already proved that he was crazy... not good combination... just leave Tom.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he admitted that asking for help was like conceding defeat and he refused to give up easily.

The man looked highly amused like Tom had said something particularly funny.

"Why would I want to kidnap little devil like you? Do I look like a kidnapper?" he asked with serious face.

But his eyes shone with barely concealed mirth.

To answer his question truthfully, he did look harmless. There was nothing remarkable in him if you ignore those unnatural eyes. The man looked in his mid twenties and had scruffy appearance. His hair looked as if they hadn't seen a comb in months... Obviously homeless!

'But looks can be deceiving... Who would know that better than himself.'

Well, Kidnapper or not, Tom hated man's attitude. He was treating him like naive child and enjoying it too much. That bloody patronising tone!

A vein started to throb in his temple. He gritted his teeth and just as he was going to give scathing remark, Martha called him. It was time to leave.

"I'm coming!" He shouted in her direction.

'Finally!'

He turned towards the man who was looking at gathering children.

"Let's go, Tom." He said casually and started walking towards entrance where Martha was counting the children.

"What do you mean let's go!?" Tom asked incredulously.

The man paused and spoke as if he was speaking with toddler.

"I am coming with you." He didn't give Tom any chance to say anything as he continued with that same tone.

" I come to visit you and you only in this land of living. You know... a special visit from dear death to our dear Tom!" He grinned wickedly.

Tom was disliking this situation more and more with each passing second. He started to feel trepidation for the first time in his life.

"What are you talking about... You are not a death. "

It didn't come out as strongly as he intended.

" But my dear Tom, I am the Death" He insisted. "Want to see a proof?"

And... and just like that... right before his eyes... he changed into the Grim Reaper... complete with black hood and scythe! Just like he had read in books. It was supposed to be a myth!

How... What... Its Impossible!

His red eyes gleamed in that hooded face and a shrill scream echoed in the vicinity.

* * *

Tom Riddle would always deny vehemently that he had screamed like a little girl when he first time saw the death... because The Tom Riddle didn't scream... obviously.


End file.
